Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I've always made this pie, it's quick and easy and the kids love it. They actually put ketchup on theirs, and at first I thought it was a bit weird, but it's very tasty. You all know, I'm sure by now, that I eyeball everything, I'm not a cook who follows a certain recipe to the letter, but to make it easier for you all, I am sharing the recipe for a version that I've tried before too, and it was really good too, so here you go:

Mix yeast in water , then add other ingredients. Mix well by hand. Cover with dishtowel and let sit in bowl for 5-10 minutes. Flatten on greased pan. Add your own toppings. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Just go for it....I sometimes double the recipe and make 4 individual pizzas so that everyone can add their own toppings. It's a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen too.

And here is mine tonight, I doubled the recipe and made a HUGE pizza...and let me tell you, the dough is like a deep dish, but it's so fluffy....totally yummy!!!I used a can of Italian Tomatoes (basil, oregano, garlic) for the base, instead of the usual pizza sauce. Then I put mushrooms, ham, chourizo, green peppers and cheese. Go ahead and use whatever you have available at home, it's the best way to make it your own!!!

Here we are again, another Monday and time to post my menu for this week. I have to say that for some reason I've totally botched ( yes botched, messed lol) this up.....I've been switching meals all month long, but these last few days of the menu seemed to have made it by unscathed.... I'm including links to the recipes that I already have posted....how's that???

So here you go, Feijoada, Chicken a la king and Sandwich Ring. I don't have the recipe for the Shepperd's pie yet, then again I know a lot of you probably know how to make it, so I'm not too worried about it :)

Remember if you have a menu to post, go on over to Laura's blog "Organizing Junkie" and add your name to the list.

Take bread out of tubes, arrange in circle, pinching ends together to make one whole circle. Make shallow knife marks across top and then sprinkle, spray or brush on a small amount of cooking oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and some oregano(italian seasoning). Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Take out, and slice in half right away, you will have a top and a bottom half. Let it cool down a little, then spread mayonnaise on the bottom half, top with lettuce, cheeses and meats (you can also add green pepper, onion etc), spread mayonnaise on the top half and then place top half on, and slice into serving pieces.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

I'm sure by now most of you are totally lost, just read the title of this post and you're thinking "WHAT?!?! What the heck is that and can I eat it???". The answer is, it's a portuguese sort of chili and YES you can and SHOULD eat it.

The version that I make, of this really popular portuguese dish, is really easy.

The basic ingredients of Portuguese feijoada are beans and (fresh) pork or beef meat. In Northwest Portugal (chiefly Minho and Douro Litoral), it is usually made with white beans; whereas in the Northeast (Trás-os-Montes) it is generally prepared with red (kidney) beans, and includes other vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. Portuguese fejoada is usually served with rice.

The way I start is by putting the olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper, bacon and sausage in a pan. Cook over medium high heat until onion is tender and bacon is cooked.

Add the kidney beans and stir.Check the salt and pepper, add more if necessary. Turn the heat down to low and add the tomato sauce and wine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often so as not to let it stick.

When it's done, check the consistency, you don't want it too watery, if it is, the just dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a little bit of water and add to the pot, bring to a boil stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Yay another friday, and another day to collect tons of yummy recipes from some great blogging ladies out there. If you want to play along, go visit Overwhelmed with Joy and add your name to the list.

I'm sharing another crockpot recipe, I just love my slow cooker and when summer starts coming to an end, I pull it out and get it ready for the months ahead. Nothing better than heading out for errands and returning home to a wonderful aroma :)

Trim fat from meat and cut, if necessary, to fit into a 3 to 6-quart crockpot. In large skillet, brown meat on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Place onions in crockpot and top with beef. Pour broth over all.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-4-1/2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove meat from slow cooker, cover and let stand 10-15 minutes. Remove onions from crockpot. Split and toast the hoagie buns.

Slice meat thinly and arrange the cooked beef and onions on the toasted buns, top with a slice of cheese. Pour cooking juices from crockpot into small heatproof bowls and serve alongside the sandwiches for dipping.

Yay another friday, and another day to collect tons of yummy recipes from some great blogging ladies out there. If you want to play along, go visit Overwhelmed with Joy and add your name to the list.

I'm sharing another crockpot recipe, I just love my slow cooker and when summer starts coming to an end, I pull it out and get it ready for the months ahead. Nothing better than heading out for errands and returning home to a wonderful aroma :)

Trim fat from meat and cut, if necessary, to fit into a 3 to 6-quart crockpot. In large skillet, brown meat on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Place onions in crockpot and top with beef. Pour broth over all.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-4-1/2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove meat from slow cooker, cover and let stand 10-15 minutes. Remove onions from crockpot. Split and toast the hoagie buns.

Slice meat thinly and arrange the cooked beef and onions on the toasted buns, top with a slice of cheese. Pour cooking juices from crockpot into small heatproof bowls and serve alongside the sandwiches for dipping.

1. Separate roll dough into 16 triangles. Arrange in a circle on baking sheet, with wide ends overlapped to form a ring in the center (points on the outside). It should look like a big star with a hole in the middle. See picture above for concept.2. Mix all ingredients together and spoon mixture into a ring on wide ends of rolls. Pull points up and over chicken mixture, then tuck under wide ends. 3. Bake 25 - 30 minutes at 350° F (until bubbly).

Monday, August 21, 2006

As promised and since it's what we're having for dinner, here is the recipe for the Crab Lasagna. Now I actually adapted this one from an Alaskan Halibut Lasagna recipe that I have had for so many years.

So here goes, I'm giving you the recipe as it reads, and hey you can go ahead and make it as is, or you can be adventurous and do the crab like I did (or even crab and shrimp mix as I've tried before).

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add halibut, garlic and thyme. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Stir in flour and salt until smooth; cook and stir until golden brown. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer half of the noodles, halibut(crab), white sauce and cheese. Repeat layers.

Place crab meat, cream cheese, scallions, salt, and sugar into food processor and mix into a lumpy paste. If food processor is not available, chop crab and onions very fine and mix with softened cream cheese, salt, and sugar. Place teaspoonful of mixture in middle of a won ton skin. Moisten edges and draw up opposite corners to meet and form a package. Make sure all edges are sealed. Deep fry until golden brown.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

I had posted the recipe below for "Breaded Ranch Chicken", and that was what I planned on making for dinner last night, but then after I looked at my menu, I realized that I really wanted to try the Chicken Calzones.....so that is what I ended up making.

They were delicious and SO filling. The kids LOVED them, and hey, anything that gets the kids eating is good enough for me :)

Place chicken in a greased 2-qt. baking dish; cover with water. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Combine cornstarch and milk until smooth; stir into skillet. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain chicken. Cut pastry sheets in half width-wise. One one side of each half, place a chicken breast, 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, two ham slices and one cheese slice. Fold pastry over filling; seal edges. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with milk if desired. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Place soup bones and water in a soup kettle or Dutch oven. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Set beef bones aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and return meat to broth. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, barley, tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic and bay leaf if desired. Cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Discard bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

So here we are again, another friday and time to hit the ON button on my printer and get ready to enjoy all the wonderful recipes being shared in blog world.

Overwhelmed with Joy started this feature, so go on over and either add your name to the list or if not, then go ahead and check out all the great recipes.

The recipe I'm sharing today is for a Crockpot Chicken Supreme.You can substitute different types of cheese and different flavors of condensed soup to change the flavor of this fabulous, easy slow cooker recipe.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

I was recently going through all my cookbooks, and I found some that I had totally forgotten existed. It was like finding money in a coat pocket that's been stashed away for a long time.....that's how giddy I get with cookbooks :)

The one I picked up was called "43 Healthy Soul Food Recipes". It had some really neat recipes in it, but the one I picked to try today is called "Smothered Steak", it looks really good and anything to do with steaks is usually a winner in our house. Meaning, the kids will eat it without forcing, bribing or threatening to remove all snacks from the house LOL

In a shallow bowl or plate, stir together the flour and pepper. Coat the steaks on both sides with the mixture, shaking off the excess.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, cook the mushrooms and onion for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is tender-crisp, scraping to dislodge any browned bits and stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, bacon bits, soy sauce, and molasses. Add the steaks. Bring to a simmer, still on medium high. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the steaks are almost tender. Stir in the green beans. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the steaks are tender and the beans are cooked through.

Slow-Cooker Method: After browning the steaks and cooking the mushrooms and onion, put all the ingredients except the green beans in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, adding the green beans for the last hour of cooking, or on high for 2 to 3 hours, adding the green beans for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

I know that my menu said Smothered Steak for tonight, but since yesterday we ended up not eating the pasta, I've decided make it tonight. I had written down the Tomato and Cheese Pasta, but I've decided to go with the Baked Ziti instead, as per the hubby and kids request.

Since the Baked Ziti is something I have made many times and already posted, I'm just going to point you in the direction of it, in case you missed it before :)

Monday, August 14, 2006

Ok here are my menus for this week, and since it's monday, I'm going to add it to the weekly feature over at Organizing Junkie. If you want to see how other families are planning their menus, run on over there, I'm sure you'll find tons of great ideas :)

I have already posted the recipe for the Salisbury Steak so go see it if you're interested. As I make the other meals, I will post their recipes too so don't forget to keep checking back each day.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Well for dinner, I had some chicken that I had thawing, so I decided to make one of my dad's favorite chicken dishes. It's pretty easy and simple to make and it's so good and filling, plus I get to throw in some carrots which means the kids get their veggies without even knowing :)

This dish brings back so many memories for me. It really was my dad's favorite, and if for some reason we were eating something for dinner that he couldn't eat, then he would ask my stepmom to fix him this chicken. It quickly became one of my favorites too, mainly because of all the gravy, or the "molho" as we Portuguese call it. There was always bread to dip it in. Yum Yum!

In a pan, add olive oil, onions, tomatoes and carrots. Cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent. Add in the bay leaf, salt and pepper, paprika and crushed garlic.

Add in a little bit of water, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (If the chicken is previously boiled it won't take as long). Keep checking to make sure the food doesn't stick, and add little bits of water to keep it moist and to make a gravy.

When chicken is cooked through check to make sure that there is enough gravy and that it's not too watery, if it is, then in a small bowl add in a few tablespoons of the gravy, and a tablespoon or 2 of cornstarch. Mix well, then pour slowly into the pan, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens up.

Now you can this chicken with rice or homemade fries, just the way my greatgrandmother, grandmother and the rest of the women in my family, have been doing for years and years. Actually it's a pretty common side dish in Portuguese cooking.

Portuguese Homemade Fries

4 big potatoes, good for fryingVegetable Oil for fryingSalt for seasoning (I use Garlic Salt which gives it that kick)

Wash the potatoes well, then slice them.

Next further slice them into thin strips. I put them all in a bowl and run some cold water over them to wash them but also to prevent them from going dark. Just remember to make sure you drain all the water and dry them off in a dish towel before adding to the hot oil......don't want any burns.

Add the vegetable oil to the frying pan and turn it to medium to high heat. Drop one fry in there and watch until it starts sizzling, remove it from the oil and slowly and carefully add a batch of fries. Be careful and watch for splatters, you don't want to get burned with that hot oil.

Let them cook for a few minutes, until golden brown.

Remove them from the oil using a slotted spatula onto a plate covered with paper towels to absorb all the oil. Sprinkle with Garlic Salt.

Serve with the chicken recipe above. Enjoy :)

As always, if you try out the recipes let me know how you liked them :)

Friday, August 11, 2006

I'm so glad I'm back to my blogging so I can start participating again in my favorite features.....if you are anything like me and LOVE cooking, then you need to start heading over to Overwhelmed with Joy, especially on friday's, for her Five Ingredients Friday Feature. :)

You'll be sure to find tons of wonderful recipes.

With school starting soon I thought I would share a recipe that I sometimes have while she gets ready for school. Being that I usually don't have time for breakfast until I get back home from dropping Jasmine off, this is a fast and easy eye opener to get your morning started.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

I've been collecting recipes for so long, and I have tons either in cookbooks or family written recipes or just clipped from magazines. One of the recipes that I use quite often and the family loves is the one I'm posting today.

It's extremely easy to make and they're so delicious. Hope you enjoy them.

About Me

I'm a Christian SAHM, wife to a retired USAF Sergeant, and mother to 2 beautiful children and 2 naughty fur babies, our pugs Bella and Lola.
Cooking, crocheting, sewing and living a simple life is what I'm about.
It's crazy and hectic at times but it's a simple, good life, surrounded by the love of God.